The Ambiguity of the Lakatos-Zahar Reconstruction of Classical and Relativistic Programmes

Abstract

Since the triumphant procession of the relativistic programme many works criticizing this approach appeared in physics. Most frequently they did not manage to cope with the requirements and provisions imposed by the physicists and methodologists. We shall consider the Ives’ approach to the Einsteinian revolution, which is a purely operationist kinematics.